


A Fire Inside

by washmylove



Category: Professional Wrestling, 新日本プロレス | New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Falling In Love, Fluffy Ending, Hair-pulling, Kayfabe Compliant, M/M, Oral Sex, Shower Sex, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-15 00:39:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16051874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/washmylove/pseuds/washmylove
Summary: An interview sends Kenny Omega on a trip down memory lane involving the creation, breakup, and reunion of The Golden Lovers.





	1. Miseria Cantare – The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter titles and lead in's come from AFI's 2003 album "Sing the Sorrow." Once I decided to try and write a fic, I couldn't get "Silver and Cold" from that record out of my head in relation to this story and decided to challenge myself to use other tracks as inspiration.
> 
> Kenny and Ibushi are such a perfect muse, although I feel like so often the truth of the Golden Lover's is better than any fiction I could create. Isn't pro-wrestling great!?! But even more so, I've been reading so many wonderful pro-wrestling fics over the last year+ that I can't help be grateful for this entertaining and talented community.

_Nothing from nowhere, I’m no one at all_  
_Radiate, recognize one silent call_  
_As we all form one dark flame_

The interviewer was young and polite. Enthusiastic and friendly in an almost Canadian way. It made Kenny feel comfortable and relaxed, something that media obligations often did not achieve. As the red light burned on the first question caught him off guard.

“So, um, tell me Mr. Omega, how did your Japanese love affair begin?”

Kenny coughed out the final sip of water and shifted in his seat. The interviewer flushed and stammered, “Well, Mr. Omega, you’re a Japanese citizen now, you’ve been living and working in Japan for nearly a decade. I’d like, if we could, to go back to the very beginning...”

Kenny barely heard the interviewer trail off, already lost in his own thoughts. The beginning. In some ways he was a different person then, in some ways the same as he is now. To say he’s come full circle makes it sound too simple, perhaps more like a spiral, to match his hair in those early days.

The lore is well known, the at times lackluster stints in North American indies and developmental territories. Trying ferociously to make a name for himself with all the YouTube challenges and falls count anywhere matches. Filming himself in his element in Winnipeg made him feel more alive and inspired than anything he’d done in his career yet. He started talking about “destiny” like he even knew what that meant. But he did know that dreams don’t often come true in southern Manitoba. That would require a 16+ hour flight halfway around the world.

That dream, his destiny, was named Kota Ibushi, that much he knew for certain. The challenge for a match answered with formalities and contracts, the unspoken challenge felt during first contact: _change the world with me._

Kenny remembered it all vividly, even to this day. The gentle weight of Ibushi on top of him, the slick of their skin together, the cool concrete on his back as the pinfall was counted, the hot tears in his eyes, the lump in his throat, his heart full of so many things he didn’t know how to say.

Kenny’s Japanese was nearly non-existent those days, and so even when he got the translation after the fact, “I love Kenny Omega!” he still felt that culturally there must have been something lost along the way. But when Ibushi accompanied Kenny to the airport at the end of his stay, the lingering glances and brush of his hand seemed to confirm what Kenny had suspected, nay hoped, all along: _you feel this too._

If only it had always been that simple. The thought jolted Kenny back to reality and the expectant face of the interviewer, “Well, obviously none of this would be possible without Kota Ibushi,” Kenny explained slowly and clearly, going on to tell the story told so many times before.


	2. The Celluloid Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Falling in love and first kisses

_You land as lightly as the new snow, cinematic_  
_On to the melting boy, and melt away_  
_You light as gently, you’re so cinematic_  
_Bathed in your radiance, I melt_

“Tell me more about the beginnings of your relationship with Kota Ibushi,” the interviewer pried. “How was it you went from rivals to partners?”

Kenny thought back to those early days in the dojo, training, rehearsing, learning how to communicate. Neither he nor Ibushi ever got frustrated with one another preferring instead to laugh at the frequent misunderstandings due to language barrier. More than once someone would take an inadvertent headbutt or elbow because they literally couldn’t tell their lefts from their rights at first.

These stories often played well to the American press for a laugh and today was no different. The mood was light, Kenny felt at ease, his next statement not as much a part of his typical interview routine.

“Love and desire will always transcend language and culture.”

The interviewer scribbled down notes about this, rightfully inferring he and Ibushi’s respective loves of pro-wrestling and desire to become the best, both as individuals but also as the most in sync tag team of all time. But of course that was a loaded statement in reference to Kenny and Ibushi’s partnership.

As the interviewer processed all this, Kenny took a moment to drift off to memories of that first summer in Japan. It was so warm, the dojo so humid. The days were long; when Kenny and Ibushi would walk back to the DDT dormitories there would still be light in the sky.

Things started slowly, tentatively, as many courtships do. A working relationship was built first; after all there was a job to do here. And later, a friendship. Laughs shared over dinner, video games, inside jokes. The quick and mutual realization they had already grown too close to be brutal rivals. Days pass quickly when you’re happy, and summer turned to fall and finally to winter. During training sessions glances became more longing. The hand on the knee lingered as Kenny summoned Ibushi’s attention at dinner. The walks back to the dormitory were some of his favorite times; Ibushi’s hand would brush against his first tentatively, but repetitively. Their fingers would temporarily intertwine. A bashful glance between the two and they would murmur their goodbye’s and continue their separate ways.

Kenny remembered a winter’s night on one of such walks. There were so many unspoken things over the last few months. Ibushi was the one to finally take the next step. _He’s always been so much braver than me_ , Kenny mused. There were snowflakes in the air, the streetlamp gave a soft, golden glow. They were talking about travel arrangements for the next tour, so mundane but now unforgettable as Ibushi grabbed him by the collar of his peacoat, pulled the scarf down from about his own mouth, and pressed their lips together. Although it took Kenny by surprise, he’d been waiting what felt like his whole life for this.

He kissed back, mouths opening, tongues exploring, hearts beating fast. Ibushi's lips so full and soft. When the kiss ended, their foreheads pressed together. Breath hot and visible against the darkened winter sky. And from then on nothing was the same.

 _In the glitter, in the dark, sunk into velvet_  
_Praying this will never end_  
_In the shadow of a star, in static pallor_  
_I realized I never began_


	3. Dancing Through Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenny has a chance to reminisce more privately about a steamy afternoon at the DDT dojo.

_Cradled in impossibility_  
_Swooning, I am swept away_  
_Swept off my feet, with step by step by step_  
_We take the lead as drop by drop we start to bleed_

The interview now over, thanks and pleasantries exchanged and now, the rest of the afternoon free to his own devices! But Kenny couldn’t shake this nostalgic feeling. Nearly ten years in Japan, nearly ten years of Kota Ibushi. It was nice to reminisce about his time back in DDT, his time as a junior heavyweight, his time as a Golden Lover. Things seemed simpler then. So much had changed now in his life and career, the weight of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship was more than what he carried in his bag, it included what he carried with him every day, every training session, and every match.

As he left the building where the interview had taken place he felt the warm summer breeze in his hair. He could have easily called for a car, an easy and air-conditioned way to get back home but instead he opted to stop for some coffee and walk the long way home down by the water.

It was easy to be sentimental about those early days in the DDT dojo. It was a simpler time. He was innocent and foolish, a dangerous combination. Especially when paired with Ibushi who was all that and then some, namely fearless.

So impatient, impulsive, consequences be damned. Ibushi’s mentality the same in the ring as in relationships, he fell, nay jumped, head over heels without looking. Kenny chuckled at the memory of him and Ibushi, young, dumb, and in love.

* * *

He would try to keep things professional with Ibushi, he really would. Kenny had a perfectly good and private dormitory nearby. Ibushi had access to any number of his family’s homes and apartments. But sometimes that just wasn’t fun. There wasn’t time. Ibushi had to have him now.

Practice had been grueling and all Kenny really wanted to do was catch his breath and ice his aching body. But before he could even sit down in the locker room, there was Ibushi pushing him into the showers, gear still on.

“Ibu-tan, we can be home in less than 20 minutes,” Kenny protested between kisses, knowing full well from experience it was futile and kicking his boots off at the entrance of the shower stall.

“No time,” Ibushi murmured as he dropped his own shorts, freeing his hardening cock. Kenny compliantly raised his arms so Ibushi could pull his now soaking shirt over his head, breaking their kisses only momentarily. In an instant, naked bodies pressed together, muscles and tendons still tightly coiled from the afternoon's wrestling exertions and ready to spring at any time. It was, a lot of man to put in one shower stall. Ibushi counted on that, no doubt. He could never quite get close enough to Kenny, no amount of contact was ever adequate. At home they would sleep naked, Ibushi’s head on Kenny’s chest, legs intertwined, arms encircling one another.

The water warmed, washing over both of them. Skin slick on skin. Ibushi aggressively grasped both of their cocks in his hand, a conveniently abandoned bottle of body wash nearby lubricating and refreshing them. A crisp scent, not unlike the sea wafted through the empty shower room.

Kenny’s knees went weak with the first touch. His head leaned against Ibushi’s shoulder, who’s presence steadied him. His head bobbed with the rhythmic movement of his lover’s hand working them both over. A moan escaped Kenny’s mouth as he gave himself over to the pleasure. Ibushi’s brow furrowed in response as his grip tightened and pace quickened.

Ibushi, always one to dictate the pace. In other relationships Kenny hadn’t always been so pliable. He didn’t mind that it was so often Ibushi’s choice of when, and where, and how they had sex. Kenny had no problem getting down on his knees before his lover. He loved to have Ibushi’s cock in his mouth, he loved the view of being able to look up at his partner through batted eyelashes. He knew how good he looked from there, because Ibushi told him every. damn. time.

He loved the way Ibushi would run his fingers through his hair and gently stroke his jaw as he opened up to take him into his mouth. Ibushi’s soft and low encouragements would echo in Kenny’s ears, he knew exactly what to say to show his appreciation for his partner’s exertions, his words made Kenny feel wanted, needed, loved in a way he never had before.

And suddenly, there was that hand in his hair, jolting back to the reality of the current situation. Hot, wet, Ibushi nipping at his earlobe, his tongue teasing and sucking. A soothing voice whispering affections straight to Kenny’s soul, words lingering in the air like the steam from the shower. That combined with the daydream of Ibushi’s cock in his mouth proved to be too much and Kenny spilled himself into Ibushi’s hand. The look of his lover’s orgasm, eyes and lips half parted, chest heaving, brought Ibushi quickly to the edge himself with a quiet grunt.

Kenny leaned back against the cool tile wall, and sighed “Alright Ibu-tan, I agree, that couldn’t wait.”

Ibushi smiled and winked, “And when we’re home in 20 minutes maybe you’ll have enough energy to go again.”


	4. Silver and Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night before Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi's 2012 match at Budokan things get pretty smutty.

_I came here by day, but I left here in darkness_  
_And found you, found you on the way_  
_And now, it is silver and silent, it is silver and cold_  
_You, in somber resplendence, I hold_

Dusk was fast approaching, the evening star appeared in the sky. Kenny couldn’t help but liken that first star to Ibushi and smile. The interview long since over, but his musing still sounding conveniently like a soundbite, _for so long he shined brighter than me, brighter than our team. A true Golden Star._ Kenny shivered in the breeze, smile fading, his thoughts darkening like the sky.

Looking back on it, he knew it was the end of an era. Ibushi was too talented to spend so much time tied up in a tag team. He knew it, DDT knew it, the fans knew it, and Ibushi knew it too. Kenny knew the Golden Lovers were all but done as a team, but it wasn’t until that final match he realized it was the end of so much more.

They’d spent the night together the night before the match, like any other night. Kenny wondered if it was a good idea, knowing what they would have to endure together in 24 short hours, but then Ibushi’s sweet, reassuring smile and bright eyes silenced that thought before it reached Kenny's lips.

It was after dinner when those eyes took on a familiar, wanton look and Ibushi beckoned Kenny down the hallway once more. In the bedroom, things moved in slow motion, a departure from the desperation and desire that was a hallmark of their early meetings in the dojo.

Ibushi reached out with tender, wanting fingers and undressed Kenny slowly, delicately even. Hands running under the edges of shirts, feeling the smooth skin of his back and tracing the edges of muscles he knew so well. Pressing their bare chests and stomaches together, one rising while the other fell. Deep, passionate kisses where Kenny drew one of Ibushi's soft, pillowy lips between his own and sucked, turning it a pale shade of purple when he released. Ibushi brought his swollen mouth to Kenny’s ear and whispered a promise with his muted voice, “I will meet you, wherever, whenever. I will always be yours.”

Ibushi eased Kenny back onto the bed, worshiping every inch of his body as he went. Trailing kisses down his muscular torso, lips and tongue tracing across scars and freckles alike. His body hovering inches above his lover’s, the heat between the two growing and palpable. Ibushi stopped his downward pace momentarily to flick his tongue at Kenny’s taut nipple. He felt the involuntary gasp from his partner wash over his own body.

His hand wrapped around the base of Kenny’s cock, Ibushi gave a few slow strokes, twisting his wrist as he worked, watching the muscles of his lover’s core ripple under the stimulation. He then lowered his mouth to the head of Kenny’s cock and worshiped him wordlessly. Kenny could feel torrid air forced against his sensitive skin. Ibushi licked his soft, bruised lips and took Kenny into his mouth. Slowly, inch by inch, he worked in tandem with his hand, spit slicking the shaft until he was able to open his throat and take all of Kenny’s considerable length inside his mouth.

Kenny searched for the words of adoration and encouragement Ibushi would offer him, but he was voiceless. A moan escaped his lips, he lay at the edge of the bed, knees bent with his toes curling and grasping the rug beneath his feet, torso and head craning up, trying to watch the show. A hand on Kenny’s chest forced him back prone as Ibushi withdrew with a hum and sat back on his own heels. Before Kenny could protest, he felt Ibushi’s hands on the back of his thighs, pushing his legs up toward his chest, fully exposing himself to his lover.

Ibushi’s hands gripped the backs of Kenny’s thighs harder, he dug his nails in at first gently, then after a gasp of arousal from above, deeper leaving raised pink streaks on Kenny's supple skin. He pushed Kenny’s legs back until his hips were fully flexed, then continued to drag his nails down the back of the thighs until he had an ass cheek in each hand. The firm pad of Ibushi’s thumb pressed just above Kenny’s hole.

Kenny felt an electric shock from the base of his spine to the ends of his hair. Ibushi leaned his face closer and again Kenny felt his lover’s hot breath against his skin, and then warm, wet tongue probing at his opening. Kenny shuddered and Ibushi’s hands pushed firmly against his hips to keep his legs up.

Ibushi’s lips pressed to Kenny’s hole, smudging him with warm, wet kisses. It was all Kenny could do to not buck his hips back against his lover’s mouth. At some point it’s all a frenetic blur, lips and tongue and then all of a sudden fingers. First, one, which reaches methodically, testing and exploring. A whimpered prayer encourages Ibushi inserts a second which causes a sharp inhale. Ibushi pauses, holds his hand steady but doesn’t withdraw. After a moment, Kenny nods, and Ibushi continues to prepare him for what’s to come. Ibushi’s lips pressed against the sensitive skin of Kenny’s inner thigh sucking and peppering him with pale bruises, his hand rocking back and forth rhythmically in his lover’s warmth.

As Ibushi starts to add a third finger, Kenny’s voice rushes back to him, “I’m ready, I need you now.” With a silent smile, Ibushi grabs the nearby bottle of lube and squeezes more onto himself and his partner, giving it a quick smear. He then brings his unmoving partner’s hips up to meet his, his cock teasing the entrance to his lover’s hole for only a moment before entering him with a firm, but gentle thrust.

Kenny thinks he might have sucked all the air out of the room by now. Ibushi realizes this and stops, holds his position while Kenny acclimates. Kenny feels so full, his heart, his body, his soul; everything has been filled by this beautiful man. Then the movement starts. Ibushi thrusts into his lover, Kenny’s legs bent up against his torso, cock dripping with precum bumping against his lower abdomen with every movement.

Ibushi reaches a hand in to stroke Kenny’s cock, timing the movement of his hand to the thrusts of his hips. Kenny’s breath quickens and it doesn’t take long before he cums wordlessly all over his stomach. Ibushi, knowing he’s not too far behind, reaches his arms up, cradling his partner’s neck, pressing their foreheads together, as close as two people can be when Ibushi finishes with a groan.

Neither of them spoke for a long time after. At first, it seems neither of them even moved. But then, like oil and water, they settle, Ibushi lying across Kenny’s chest. Silence fills the room, and Kenny feels not only the mass of his partner, pinning him to the bed, but the weight of all things past, present, and future.

 _As a rapturous voice escapes, I will tremble a prayer_  
_And I’ll beg for forgiveness._

 _Your sins into me_  
_Oh, my beautiful one._


	5. The Leaving Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Budokan.
> 
> Have you ever really listened to Kota Ibushi's theme song "27" by Breaking Point? Because I did and wow it made me feel some things.

_Hard to notice gleaming from the sky_  
_When you’re staring at the cracks_

The next memory more painful, but necessary.

The morning of Budokan Kenny woke up alone, Ibushi was already gone. Kenny made his preparations alone, _like any other match, like any other match_ was the mantra he kept repeating, though he knew it was a lie.

Kenny remained relaxed during his entrance, soaking it all in, a main event title match in a venue like Budokan was something to be cherished after all. He felt the warm glow of the stage lights, the gentle tickle of the golden streamers that cascaded over his body raised goosebumps and put him on edge.

The upbeat sound of Ibushi’s theme filled the hall,  
_When it’s trapped up inside you_  
_There’s no peace, there’s no hope._

Ibushi appeared anxious across the ring, breathing deeply although the exertion had yet to begin. Perhaps the weight of the two belts he carried was more than Kenny imagined, he couldn’t know for sure.

The handshake before the bell lingered and both men started tentatively, reminiscent of the purposefully inadvertent brushes of hands, a hallmark of their early courtship. They mirrored each other early on, knowing one another’s movements and counters the same way they had memorized the curves of another's body. A second, respectful handshake and the game was on.

Kenny surprised himself, by how aggressive he was willing to be. He worked over Ibushi’s arms, first the left, then the right. He stretched his former partner, remembering the way those arms would hold him. He now aimed to pull them apart.

Kenny remembered their first matches outside the venue, when there were no rules, restrictions, or championships. When they were both young and innocent. He led Ibushi away from the rigid confines of the ring toward the scaffolding and started to climb.

He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do from there, maybe grab Ibushi’s hand and encourage him to climb with him, climb up, and out, and away from the area, get lost together in the night. Maybe it was for the best, he thought, that Ibushi grabbed his trunks and pulled him back down to earth, to the match, to the task at hand. Until there was a kick, and Kenny was doubled over, when he looked up he now saw Ibushi climbing on without him, illuminated in floodlights, claiming the spotlight that was so rightfully his.

As the crowd willed him on, Ibushi never looked back. He looked every inch a two-winged angel moonsaulting off the Budokan balcony. No glance to ensure Kenny would catch him as he fell, Kenny would always be there for him. Of course, of course he would.

Ibushi began to take control, hands grabbing at Kenny’s curls, dragging him back toward the ring to the cheers of the crowd, feeling the match inching toward climax. When Ibushi hoisted him up for a Golden Star Powerbomb, Kenny couldn’t help but feel the way Ibushi’s head fit perfectly into the space between his legs again. He shuddered as he hit the mat.

The painful top rope bump to the floor, the failed One Winged Angel, the way now both Ibushi and Kenny were on their knees before one another, staring into each others eyes and throwing forearms with all their remaining strength, Kenny remembered it all. Although he wasn't able to see the faint purple bruises rising on his on chest and chin.

Somehow, Ibushi set him up prone on the top turnbuckle, agony and ecstasy one in the same for a moment. Kenny writhing, knees bent. Ibushi’s sweaty, slick body between his legs grasping, lifting Kenny’s hips into him, cradling Kenny’s head gently in his arms. This all felt so familiar, the memories of the lovemaking from the night before washed over Kenny. He felt so safe, so relaxed. Then it all came crashing down. A Phoenix Plex from the top rope, Ibushi’s body pinning his chest down for much longer than the official’s 1-2-3.

The echo of Ibushi’s theme again rang out, this time in victory.  
_When it’s trapped up inside you_  
_Well, come this way, come this way now_  
_Competition is weakening_  
_The competition is gone._  
_It doesn’t matter what you’re thinking_  
_It doesn’t matter at all._

After all the emotion in the ring with Kenny flat on his back, the tears he felt shed by both men on his face, he expected a reunion of sorts in the back, but Ibushi was nowhere to be found. He was gone.

 _Walked away, heard them say_  
_“Poisoned hearts will never change,” walked away again_  
_Turned away in disgrace_  
_Felt the chill upon my face, cooling from within._


	6. Bleed Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ibushi is gone and Kenny is not in a good way.

_I am exploring the inside, I find it desolate_  
_I do implore these confines, now, as they penetrate, “recreate me”_

Night had fallen now, the afternoon coffee long gone but the memories continued. Kenny felt a vibration in the pocket of his hoodie, but ignored it and pressed onward.

The dark times, as Kenny liked to call them. Not just the darkness of the all black “uniform” of the Bullet Club. Not just the darkness of the reflective sunglasses, obscuring not just the bright blue of Kenny’s eyes, but more importantly obscuring the feelings and longing those eyes could betray.

Not just the darkness of the now dyed and braided mane atop Kenny’s head. Goodbye tight golden curls, now brushed into chaotic waves. Ibushi had loved to pull the springy curls. In public he would tousle them gently, pull them just enough to watch them bounce back into place with a gentle laugh. In private those same hands could be found firm at Kenny’s scalp, grasping the curls by the handful. Fingers getting caught in their texture affording a steadiness Ibushi would use to guide his lover’s head. Guide it down, down, encouraging Kenny to take all of him into his mouth.

The Cleaner wasn’t just a character; it had become an all-consuming lifestyle. It was a mantra, _a clean slate_ he told himself.

The first nights after Budokan were lonely; memories crept back from the blackened depths of an empty room. Kenny resolved let those memories die alone. He moved to a new apartment, a place that Ibushi had never been, somewhere the memories couldn’t find him.

His new apartment was much more fit for a single man, in the heart of the city near bars and nightlife. All things he previously hated and intentionally avoided at his formerly quiet, residential apartment.

Of course Kenny still didn’t drink, but that didn’t stop him from exploring. Nights out with the boys after sponsor dinners spent nursing a club soda from the corner of the bar, taking it all in until the rest of the boys were too drunk to notice his absence.

He’d wander until he could find the darkest bar in Ni-Chome, he rarely went the same place twice. There he would meet the nameless, faceless men of Tokyo after dark, locals and tourists alike. He would never take them back to his apartment, preferring their hotel rooms and flats, but the bathroom stall or an alleyway would do in a pinch. Kenny, The Cleaner, leaned up against the brick wall, neon lights gleaming off his leather jacket, jeans undone just enough to free his cock to be hungrily ravished by the man on his knees in front of him.

Of course they were always drunk, but Kenny never felt like he was taking advantage. After all, they were the ones taking advantage of his broken heart he reasoned. He preferred to fuck them from behind, bent over furniture or hands and knees on the edge of the bed, any way he didn’t have to make eye contact or a true connection with them. If they made it back to the other man's home Kenny made sure to be gone before daylight broke. He told himself it was to avoid being seen or recognized, but perhaps he just preferred the darkness. Goodbye and Goodnight, indeed.

As the weekends blurred into months it became easier to chase away the thought that it was Ibushi below him.

But the less Kenny thought about Ibushi when his dick was wet, the more he thought about him every other second of the day. He thought about him in the ring, tried to move like him, won his championships, stole his colors, bested his rivals, lived his dream.

Kenny chasing Ibushi was like a dog chasing cars, should he actually catch one; he wouldn’t know what to do with it. And so when the first call came out, “You’re lonely aren’t you? Well, I’m right here, waiting,” it fell on deaf ears.

Days fade to months. Frustration focused into anger. Seemingly unprovoked rants on social media, challenges again offered up across oceans, “Meet me, Ibushi, in the G1 finals.”

All these empty threats and promises broken, time wasted. The briefest of moments back stage, surrounded by press, the spotlight so bright now on both. No, not here, not now. They’ll all see me for who I really am...

 _If you listen_  
_You can hear when the heart stops_  
_I saved the pieces when it broke_  
_And ground them all to dust_


	7. Girl's Not Grey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is so much that could be said about the time between Kenny joining The Bullet Club and the reunion of The Golden Lovers, and frankly they told a more emotional, dramatic, and exciting story during that time than I ever could. So let's just get to the made up makeup-sex part already!

_I’ll lay me down tonight_  
_Much further down_  
_Watch stars go out tonight_  
_On sinking ground_

Kenny remembered the night of New Years Dash when Kota Ibushi came back into his life, a knight in shining golden armor. When the vengeful Cody stood over him with a chair he wasn’t fearful of injury or pain. He felt an empty sadness, knowing the only thing he had left, The Bullet Club, would now be taken away from him too.

And then suddenly, he was there. A vision, a memory, a ghost from his past manifested into reality, beckoning him to take his hand again and join forces, to change the world.

The confetti and streamers that went off in the arena were nothing compared to the fireworks Kenny felt in his chest when he and Ibushi touched again. After the show, the two scampered out of the building as fast as possible into a waiting car that took them directly to Ibushi’s apartment before Kenny could even catch his breath, a thousand things still unsaid.

Walking across the threshold of the apartment brought back waves of memories long since compartmentalized and boxed away by The Cleaner. But indeed, Kenny wasn’t The Cleaner any more, he hadn’t been in a while. He’d re-stylized himself as The Best Bout Machine, and part of The Elite, and doubled down on his desire to “change the world”. He’d stopped going out to bars and clubs too, now finding solace in video games and the gym.

Kenny shook himself out of his memories and saw Ibushi across the room, standing with a small smile on his face, arms crossed. “Welcome back home” he said, taking several steps forward and throwing his arms around Kenny, burying his head in his shoulder, hand clutching his lover’s bleach blond curls.

Kenny pressed his lips to the side of Ibushi’s forehead, Ibushi looked up and their gaze met, and then their lips. It was Ibushi who broke the kiss and the silence, “Kenny, I’ve missed you, I’m so sorry for the time that we’ve wasted. I’m here for good. I’ll follow you anywhere.” He looked at him hopefully. Kenny met his eyes and nodded silently. Like when they first met, love and desire were again able to transcend language.

Ibushi eased himself onto the edge of the bed, sitting expectantly, but letting his partner dictate the terms. For once he felt obliged to follow. Kenny took note of this and started to undress. Shoes and socks kicked away, t-shirt removed, gym shorts cast aside. He left his briefs on, the outline of his hardening cock starting to become visible. His hand extended to Ibushi, he helped him to his feet and ran his arms around his waist, lifting his t-shirt and caressing his sides, feeling his skin prickle under the touch. Ibushi’s shorts and underwear pulled down to the ground, Kenny crouched before him and mouthed a kiss to the side of his hip. Ibushi’s cock stirred next to his cheek. Kenny stood up fully and again extended a hand, easing his naked partner down onto the bed below them.

Kenny crawled onto the bed on his hands and knees, planting kisses up Ibushi’s inner thighs until he again reached his muscular hip creases taking his now fully erect lover into his hand offering slow and gentle strokes as he continued to kiss his way up Ibushi’s body. His body had changed so much over the years, new muscles and scars and bruises, Kenny wanted to memorize them all. When he was done peppering kisses across Ibushi’s throat, Kenny found his mouth already open and wanting.

After one final, chaste kiss, he dipped his head downward to meet his hand, now slick with precum. He took all of Ibushi into his mouth, eliciting a moan of pleasure from his lover. His mouth wet and hot, his tongue licking and darting, Kenny continued to work Ibushi over pausing and teasing when it seemed like he’d get too close. Kenny had longed for this moment for years, he wanted to make it last.

One hand kept wrapped around the base of Ibushi’s straining cock, the other now working backward. Kenny started with knuckles, massaging and rubbing at Ibushi’s opening. The whimpering noises coming from the head of the bed were almost too much to take as Kenny’s own cock strained at and damped his briefs.

Kenny stopped only briefly to reach into the bedside table where years ago there had been lube. Kenny wasn’t sure if he should hope it was still there or not. It was, and it even looked like the same foreign packaging Kenny miraculously procured for the pair from a hotel airport sundry’s store during an extended layover years ago. It was even still mostly full. “I don’t think that stuff expires, right?” Ibushi breathlessly offered. Kenny looked over at his lover, eyes rolled back, cock straining, completely blissed out and so, so faithful, his heart soared. Kenny offered a lingering kiss of adoration to Ibushi’s forehead followed by a quick peck of encouragement on the lips, then back to the task at hand.

The contrast of the cold lube in one hand and the warmth of Kenny’s mouth was striking for certain but as Kenny gently massaged knuckles, and then a finger toward Ibushi’s hole things warmed up quickly. Watching Ibushi alternatively bucking between wanting to fuck Kenny’s mouth like the good old days and thrusting into Kenny’s stretching fingers was making Kenny crazy. A glance up and he could see Ibushi’s hands flailing wildly, grasping at pillows, the headboard, Kenny’s hair, anything. Kenny had worked three full fingers into Ibushi now and the man looked absolutely possessed, he quivered as Kenny withdrew, a sigh escaping his plump lips.

Kenny lowered his body down onto Ibushi, inched his legs wider as he eased between his hips and finally kicked his own briefs aside. He positioned himself at Ibushi’s entrance teasing a gentle pressure before finally sinking deep. He knew his lover was ready and could handle it. The noise Ibushi made was a combination of a whimper and a moan and the sound coupled with the initial tightness gripping his cock almost made Kenny come apart. He held still before starting to move and thrust. With a regular rhythm quickly achieved between the two, Kenny grabbed at Ibushi’s left leg and held it in the crook of his arm, enabling him to push even deeper.

As Kenny held Ibushi’s leg, he found his partner instinctively trying to roll onto his side to make the most of the angle, but he wasn’t quite in control of all of his limbs and wound up closer his stomach, his back working toward Kenny. “Wait, no,” Kenny murmured, “I want to be able to see you.” He withdrew and helped his lover sit up, and they sat on the bed facing each other. “Here,” he offered helpfully, and laid down, guiding Ibushi’s round hips so he was straddling his lap. “Is this good?”

“So good,” whispered Ibushi as he kneeled over Kenny’s lap, taking him into his hands and guiding him back to his opening. Kenny thrusted up as Ibushi sank down, head thrown back, mouth open in a moan. Ibushi’s hard cock slapped Kenny’s lower abdomen with every plunge. Ibushi grasped at air until he reached backward, his hands finding Kenny’s ankles, and there he held on, back arched moaning and whimpering with every thrust. “I’m going, I’m going to, I’m going to…” was all he could get out as his orgasm shot forth with a scream.

Kenny could hold back no longer himself, especially after seeing the display before him. As Ibushi’s body clenched around him, Kenny shot off with a grunt, his cock throbbing as Ibushi melted down around him.

The two collapsed with a sigh and a shiver, laying motionless, fingers entwined. “I will always be yours,” Ibushi offered, a promise from so many years ago kept.

“I love you too,” Kenny whispered.


	8. Now the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's finish this off with a touch of fluff, shall we?

_I laid down below the glitter-adorned night_  
_And silently sparkled, my own way_  
_Summer, I laid down by you and shared my frail light_  
_You gave the dark to me_

Kenny rounded the corner to his apartment complex, stopped to scratch the neck of the neighborhood tomcat. He was just inserting his house key into the lock when his phone vibrated again. As he crossed the threshold he dug into his pocket, finally retrieving his phone, squinting in the light until he was able to see “KOTA” flashing across the screen. Then his eyes focused on the figure standing across the kitchen, phone in one hand, arms crossed.

“Where have you been?!” his partner admonished. “I’ve been trying to call you. You were supposed to be done with your obligations hours ago. Your dinner’s gone cold!”

Kenny smiled and sighed, “I’m sorry, Ibu-tan, I got lost on a little trip down memory lane.”

“Ibu-tan,” Kota scoffed. “You haven’t called me that in ages. Memory lane, indeed. Here, dinner. Ahhh now what are you doing?”

Kenny threw his arms around Kota’s slender waist. “You said it’s cold already, what’s the hurry?” He started to drag his lover down the hall and toward the bedroom against Kota’s feigned protest.

When they reached the foot of the bed Kenny playfully put his hands on Kota’s chest and pushed him backwards toward the bed. Pillows and comforters flew as he landed with a FOOSH.

“Kenny-tan, what has gotten into you, Lover?” Kota smiled playfully but received only a shrug and a wink in return.


End file.
